Kill Me In Yokohama

Burns Bannion #3: “Kill Me In Yokohama” by Earl Norman (Norman Thompson).  Running out of money, Bannion is becoming desperate and places an ad in the paper, “Will Do Anything For Money.” He gets three letters, one from a kid wanting a dog (and Bannion thinks he just might find one for him), one from Inspector Ezawa, saying he is being watched. But the third is from Mariko Melson, a super Japanese model, who is half French, and a knock out. She feels her neighbor is turning her brother into a hoodlum bent on world domination or destruction, and wants Bannion to see that he is removed from Japan. Naturally, amateur private detective Burns Bannion jumps feet first into the case, and a whole lot of trouble! Another great karate action, and our hero barely comes out alive. Lots of fun.

Kill Me In Shimbashi

Burns Bannion #2: “Kill Me In Shimbashi” by Earl Norman (Norman Thompson). Inspector Ezawa comes down hard on Bannion, and demands that he becomes legal or ship back to the states. So now he has to enroll in the university as a student, plus get the proper cards and papers to remain in Japan. To solve his money problems, he has business cards printed, declaring him a private detective, only the cards read ‘pirate’ detective; never mind, a marine sergeant hires him to find the Peking Man. This gives him a job, with money coming in, and plenty of karate and danger. The author’s writing is tighter in this second novel, and is another action-packed case for the self-styled private detective as he makes the rounds of Japanese bars and lots of girls! Top notch.

Kill Me In Tokyo

Burns Bannion #1: “Kill Me In Tokyo” by Earl Norman (Norman Thompson), 1958 from Berkley.  Burns Bannion had just been released from the U.S. Army in Japan, where he claimed he was entering college. Instead, he wanted to stay in Japan to study Karate. One night he’s in one of his favorite bars watching strippers when a drunk American approaches him, thinking he is a private eye. Bannion was actually wondering how he was going to make a living in Japan, and this sounded like his answer. The American hands him money, and asks that he find a missing girl for him named Mitsuko. Bannion figures there is 90 million people in Japan, and most of them are named Mitsuko, but needing the money he accepts. Bannion ends up neck deep in gangsters and karate killers. Though he is training with a 7^th degree black belt, Bannion hasn’t reached black belt level yet. Just about everyone he crosses is, but somehow the American comes out the winner. However, he is pretty well beat to a pulp before the story comes to a conclusion. One of my favorite scenes is after he takes some hard hits and kicks, but manages to get to one of his friends, the guy says, “Good Lord, it’s Frankenstein!” The story did have its moments, though it was a little loose at times, and some things were left open, which may appear in future stories. In 1958, this was one of the first really good karate series, and Thompson patterned it somewhat after the tough Mike Hammer. Well worth the read.